Fall Camping

This past weekend I had the pleasure of enjoying 2 1/2 days with loved ones out in the wilderness. I was able to sit with my family and friends around a crackling campfire exchanging stories and memories.The foliage had just passed peak so the trees were beginning to show their bare branches. The air was crisp and the wind had a bite to it as it blew easily through the naked trees. The only noises were those of laughter, geese flying overhead, the leaves rustling during a burst of wind and the shots of hunters firing their guns in the distance. At night, the hoots of owls were echoed with the howls of coyotes. The days were cool and the nights even colder; it was definitely fall.  The annual end of the year camping trip was very bittersweet. As we packed up the camper for the last time it marked the true end of summer. No more campfires, no more bathing suits, no more canoeing down the river. It was now time to bundle up in sweaters, hats and mittens and prepare for the long cold winter that is ahead.